1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a package for elongated sharp-edged tools. More specifically, the invention relates to a package for storage of precision tools which have a sharp-edged working surface in at least one location and which must be protected from contact with the material of the package.
2. Description of the Related Art
The presently disclosed invention is described in connection with a surgical instrument such as an oscillating saw or a bone saw or the like is assumed as an example of a surgical instrument. The description of an oscillating saw with a sharp-edged serrated blade is only as an example without limiting the scope of the invention.
In packaging such surgical instruments, there is the problem that the blade, cutting edge, or other sharp-edged working surface must not come in contact with the material of the package, which is preferably made of plastic. This situation has been remedied in the past by welding such a sharp-edged tool in various film layers for packaging purposes, thus accepting the disadvantage of the risk that in shipping and storage of such a packaged object, the sharp-edged blade or the cutting edge may unintentionally come in contact with the plastic of the packaging film. When the object packaged in this way was removed from the package, there was the risk of microtine plastic particles from the package adhering to the serrated cutting edge of the tool. In a subsequent surgical operation, there was then the risk that the plastic particles adhering to the cutting surface would penetrate into the surgical wound. Likewise, there was a substantial risk of injury when the surgeon would grip the blade of the surgical instrument, which was packaged only in the film bag, to liberate it from the package and clamp it in a machine.
The object of the presently disclosed invention is therefore to create a package for a sharp-edged object, such as a tool useful for medical purposes, that will ensure that its cutting edge or sawing edge will not come into contact with any surface of the package. It is a further object of the presently disclosed invention to provide packaging which may ensure that the object can be removed from the package easily, reliably and without either contamination or injury.